My real name?

Under the clear sky, in a valley covered with soft hills and meadows of flowers dancing in the breeze, Lucia rested comfortably, leaning her head against the side of Veldanava, who was in his dragon form. The sun bathed the scene in a warm, golden light, while the soft murmur of the wind was their only company. The dragon's scales shimmered in the daylight, and Lucia, with her pink hair cascading like a waterfall, seemed completely at peace.

Veldanava remained still, his massive body relaxed. His dragon form held an imposing majesty, but at that moment, he wasn't the omnipotent being that the world feared or respected. With Lucia at his side, he was simply someone enjoying mortal company.

"I still laugh when I remember what happened yesterday," Lucia said, breaking the silence with a smile on her lips. "You left him alone and condemned him to complete ridicule."

Veldanava let out a low rumble that sounded more like a suppressed laugh.

"I didn't need to leave him to face you alone," the dragon replied, "but I must admit it was amusing how he tried to explain himself with those… what did he call them? Intellectual smooches?"

Lucia chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming with joy.

"He's adorable in his clumsiness, isn't he? Always trying to impress, but not knowing how. And his attempts at humor… Well, I'm just glad he's with us."

Veldanava nodded slowly, his golden eyes gazing at the horizon.

"He is peculiar, no doubt. There's something about him that sets him apart from the others. His past… it's an enigma. He doesn't remember his name, not even etched in his soul. Perhaps I'll give him a gift tomorrow."

Lucia raised her head, looking at Veldanava with curiosity.

"Do you think his strange past has something to do with the power he holds inside? He's always been a mystery to me. Sometimes he seems so human, but other times… I feel like his soul tries to escape the body you created for him."

The dragon remained silent for a moment, contemplating her question. His enormous wings stirred slightly in the breeze.

"I've felt it too. When I rescued him, I blessed him with strength and grace. He has innate potential. His soul is what worries me. It's as if it rejects its new body, wanting to escape."

...

Just then, a shout interrupted the tranquility of the place. Lucia and Veldanava looked up, and from a distance, they saw me running down the hill, a look of pure frustration on my face. My hair was messy, my clothes disheveled, and a pile of books under my arm made it clear I had endured a long study session. Lucia couldn't help but giggle.

"Looks like he's here," she said, smiling again.

"And in his usual state of tantrum," commented Veldanava with a resigned tone.

"Why do I have to study so much magic?!" I shouted, waving my arms as I approached. "This is ridiculous! I've read three books just this morning, and I still don't understand half of what they say! I'm not a wizard, I'm… I'm just a normal guy!"

Lucia covered her mouth to hide a laugh as Veldanava watched me with a mix of amusement and patience.

"Ah, here comes the great scholar," Lucia teased, standing up to greet me. "How many times have you complained about the same thing today? Ten? Fifteen?"

I reached them, stopping with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. My face was red from running, and my frustration was palpable.

"I'm telling you, this is too much!" I exclaimed, pointing at Veldanava as if the dragon were the culprit. "Why do I have to learn all these spells? I'm not even good at this! And don't tell me it's 'for my own good,' because you've said that twenty times already."

Veldanava lowered his massive head toward me, his golden eyes shining with overwhelming calm.

"If you want to control the power within you, you must learn to master the magic that surrounds you. You can't rely solely on brute strength or instinct. Magic is a part of you, even if you don't fully understand it yet."

"Why the hell do I have to learn so much magical theory if I never use it?!" I shouted, my face red with frustration. "I'm tired of reading about spells that confuse more than they help! And you, Veldanava, didn't tell me it would be this hard!"

Lucia, trying to stifle her laughter, spoke softly.

"Could it be that you need a little more patience?"

I looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Patience… for what? The last spell I tried nearly set my desk on fire! Is that progress?"

Veldanava watched me with his wise eyes, though there was something of amusement on his draconic face.

"Magic is not just about casting spells. It's about understanding the flow of power, the connection between the elements, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I interrupted, waving my hands. "I've memorized that speech by heart. 'Magic is balance, magic is connection,' blah, blah, blah. But has that helped me? No!"

Lucia burst out laughing, unable to hold it any longer, while I looked at her indignantly.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm being completely serious here."

Lucia wiped a tear from her laughter and looked at me with affection.

"It's just… I love how you manage to turn even the most ancient magic into pure chaos. You have a gift."

"It's not a gift! It's a problem!" I protested, though a small smile began to creep onto my face. "You two laugh at me, but you're not the ones who have to clean up the mess in the library after a small flame on your fingers."

Veldanava moved his massive head, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Magic is also about accepting mistakes, learning from them. Every spell that explodes is a step toward success… or at least, toward a spell that explodes less."

I looked at him incredulously.

"Are you telling me my success depends on how many spells I fail? Thanks for the motivation, master!"

Lucia laughed again, this time stepping closer to place a hand on my shoulder.

Veldanava and Lucia exchanged glances, with knowing smiles, as I sighed again, knowing there was no escape.

Lucia let out a light laugh, looking at the sky while her hand remained on my shoulder.

"You know, we could let you study alone if you promise not to make more dramatic scenes and run off as if magic were a plague. Does that sound like a fair deal?"

I huffed, crossing my arms as if I were indignant.

"Fine, deal. But only if you two promise not to throw more books at me that seem to have more pages than the year has days. Seriously, those tomes could be used as weapons!"

Lucia laughed even harder, and even Veldanava made a sound that, if I didn't know him better, I'd say was an attempt at laughter.

"Books as weapons?" Lucia said between laughs. "That's something I'd like to see. Maybe a new combat style: lethal literature."

I put a hand to my forehead, feigning despair.

"If that happens, at least make sure the first spell is for lifting heavy books effortlessly. I'm already considering back problems with all this studying."

Veldanava, always the serious one, decided to add his grain of wisdom.

"If you master magic, books will no longer seem so heavy. The true weight is in your lack of discipline."

"Oh, sure!" I replied sarcastically. "Because discipline is magical. Why didn't you teach me that spell from the beginning?"

Lucia gave me a gentle push and looked at me amused.

"Maybe because discipline isn't taught, it's practiced. Although, come to think of it… we should start with the basics, like remembering your name, right? I'm surprised that when you reincarnated and Lord Veldanava gave you a new body, you never told us your real name."

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. My shoulders tensed, and the jokes floating in the air vanished in an instant. Veldanava also noticed the shift, and he remained silent, watching me closely.

"Why do you suddenly want to know my name?" I asked, more seriously than I intended. I felt something stir inside me, something uncomfortable and dark.

Lucia, noticing my mood change, raised both hands in a gesture of peace.

"It's not to bother you, really. I just… thought it might be something you'd want to share. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends, yeah…" I murmured, clenching my fists. "But even I don't know who I am. I don't know if I have a name or if I ever had one. And every time you ask about it… I feel like I'm empty. Like nothing about me is real."

Lucia tried to approach, but I stood up abruptly, moving away a little.

"It's frustrating!" I shouted, my words louder than I intended. "You have me here, training, learning magic, and I don't even know if I'm part of all this. Maybe I don't belong in this world. Maybe I'm just a mistake. A failed experiment!"

Lucia lowered her gaze, her face reflecting a mix of sadness and empathy. Veldanava, on the other hand, remained stoic, though there

Lucía lowered her gaze, her face reflecting a mix of sadness and empathy. Veldanava, on the other hand, remained stoic, though there was an intensity in his gaze.

"You are not a mistake," said Veldanava, his voice firm, resonating like contained thunder. "What you are, what you carry inside, is something even I cannot fully understand. But that doesn't make you any less real. Your existence, though unknown to you, is as valid as ours."

"But how can you say that?!" I replied, feeling the heat of frustration in my chest. "I don't even have a past! I don't know where I come from, who I am, or where I belong!"

Lucía slowly approached, her hand once again seeking my shoulder, but this time with more caution.

"What matters is not where you come from," she said softly, "but where you choose to go. I know it hurts not having those answers now, but what you've experienced here, with us, is as real as any other past. You're a part of this, even if you can't see it yet."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but the words continued to echo in my head. Part of me knew she was right, but another part, the one that had gone so long without answers, couldn't let it go so easily.

"It's easy to say when you have a name, a history," I murmured, feeling my anger dissolve into a kind of exhaustion. "But I… I feel like I'm trapped between being something and being nothing. As if my life begins and ends in the void that Veldanava pulled me from."

The silence that followed was heavy, but not uncomfortable. Lucía finally wrapped her arm around me, resting her head against mine as she had done with Veldanava earlier.

"I promise you," she said softly, "we'll find those answers. But in the meantime, you're not alone. Wherever you are, whoever you are, you're with us. And that's enough, at least for now."

I finally let out the breath I had been holding, feeling that for the moment, the questions could wait.

"Thank you... I think I'll keep studying those magic books. At least now I have a bit more control over my little spells and can produce a spark of fire."

I walked away from Lucía and Veldanava, silently making my way back to the Kingdom of Nasca. I felt their eyes on my back, even felt my soul stir strongly within me. I placed my hand over my chest and clutched my clothes tightly. I gritted my teeth and felt the tears stream down my face.

For a moment, I thought this would be exciting... But it turned out to be the opposite. I reincarnated into a body that isn't mine, with a soul that screams to be set free... It was unbearable.