Origin Of Dragons [1]

Asher was stuck staring at the screen like he had just seen something horrific. His arms slightly tensed around Ria as he glanced down at her.

He was certain she was the one. The little sister Asher was supposed to have, but who had been hospitalized some months ago.

He couldn't be mistaken. The album he had seen in the kitchen, on the fridge, was a family photo—and she was in it.

His mind raced.

Infant Dragon? Tame? Attack? How was he supposed to attack a little kid? Not only that, she was a dragon.

'The system must have made a mistake somewhere. Maybe a glitch?'

He told himself that, trying to find reassurance that his little sister was not a dragon.

The very idea was absurd, almost unbelievable.

Slowly exhaling, he loosened his grip on her and placed her gently on the ground. When she balanced herself, she stepped back with a smile.

"You look so tall," she uttered, tilting her head. "Did you eat a lot of food?"

Asher said nothing, just stared at her from the corner of his eye, still unable to digest what he had just discovered. He let out a soft chuckle and slipped his hands back into his pockets.

"You should rest," he said as he placed a hand on her head. "And be a good girl." He patted her before walking past.

On his way to the bedroom, he handed over what Alya had asked for, along with the items he got for her and their mother, before walking to his room in silence.

When he shut the door behind him, he ran a hand through his hair in confusion.

Slowly, he pulled his hands from his pockets and glanced down at them.

There was nothing different about her, even when she hugged him—warm, small, even fragile from how thin she looked. She looked nothing like a creature.

But he knew the system wouldn't lie, even though it might have had a glitch before.

'Then what the hell does this mean?'

His thoughts were tangled into a mess, which was bad—very bad. He still had a lot of things to do. But standing in his room all night wouldn't give him the answers he needed.

Asher pushed off the door and walked toward the balcony. He pushed it open and stepped outside.

It was still a little bright since the sun hadn't set completely, and the air was cool—something he would love to sleep in.

His gaze moved to the rooftop, then to the ladder that led up to it.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the ladder and propelled himself upward, leaping with ease over at least twenty steps.

He finally reached the top, gripping the ledge before swinging himself onto the roof effortlessly.

The rooftop was not what he had expected. If anything, it looked nothing like what he was used to.

It was like another floor of the building, with benches and an unused grill—probably for those who liked using the roof for parties and cookouts.

Tay stood by the edge with his hands in his jacket pockets. His eyes shifted to Asher the moment he landed.

Next to him, Emma sat cross-legged on the low wall, a pen between her lips, a notepad on her lap, and her phone in her hands.

"You're late," Tay said, arching a brow. "Was the grocery run that difficult?"

Emma looked up from her screen and punched Tay hard. "He had to see his family before coming here, idiot."

"Tch," Tay scoffed, rubbing his arm. "You didn't have to hit me."

Asher barely reacted. He just smiled nervously and walked over to them. He sat on one of the desks beside Emma and placed his phone beside her.

"…Tay," he began with a gentle tone. "What do you know about dragons?"

That question made both Emma and Tay pause. They both shifted their gaze to him fully, silently wondering why he would bring up such a topic.

Tay's eyes narrowed slightly. "Dragons?"

Emma tilted her head. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Just answer me," Asher said immediately, ignoring their questions.

Tay exhaled and leaned back, his gaze becoming distant, like he was digging up something he didn't want to. "They don't exist anymore."

Asher's expression darkened. "Explain."

Tay shrugged and let out a sigh. "A long time ago, dragons did exist—powerful creatures, the strongest beings in the world. But their strength made them a threat.

"Every race became terrified of them, even the beasts from S-rank and below. So cities from far and wide had their beast-focused guilds hunt them down until none remained."

Emma leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Some people still think they exist. But if one did show up…" She trailed off and lowered her head.

Tay finished for her, his voice firm. "If a dragon is ever found, the guilds will act. No questions. No hesitation." He met Asher's gaze. "They'll kill it."

"Even the infants?"

Tay nodded but then raised his hands to his head. "I don't know for sure. My father was once part of the guild around that time.

"He said something about a few guilds that focused on extracting the mana and soul cores from dragons before burning them and using their ashes for energy pills."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "There's a lot one can do with those creatures. The most expensive weapons are made from them—pencils, drugs, enhanced pills to boost mana replacement and healing."

Emma scoffed. "Ignore whatever he says. He had a pet dragon before, and it was taken from him. He's just in denial."

Asher did not reply. He only watched as Tay balled his fists by his side and scoffed. "I'll kill those bastards for taking him away from me."

Asher chuckled as well but then turned away. "Do you think dragons still exist?"

"I hope so," Emma replied. "There's a 0.1% chance that someone born in that bloodline will appear, as the guild masters said. They should be able to continue the legacy."

"I doubt it," Tay said and took out his phone. "The Vanguard explicitly stated that if they caught anyone reeking of dragons, no matter how little, such a person would be taken in for investigation."

"Why do you know all this?" Emma asked with a raised brow.

"Well, some new exchange kid seems to be feeding me information with a private number," he stated and showed Asher and Emma his screen.

The first thing that came to Asher's mind when he saw the contact's typing arrangements, how they addressed Tay, and the way they sent the information, was Sinnett.

At the same time, Asher's phone vibrated, and as they say—"Speak of the devil."

Sinnett's name was displayed boldly on the screen. It was a video call, and Asher wasted no time picking up.

When he did, irritation replaced his discomfort. "Idiot, what is it?"

Sinnett smirked. "Tay's with you, right?"

Asher frowned. "What is wrong with you? Why do you know everything?"

Sinnett just chuckled and pointed up. When Asher raised his gaze, he saw a drone hovering right above them, causing his frown to deepen.

"I don't use only that. That aside, where's Ria?"

Asher's expression turned dark. How did Sinnett know about Ria too? He couldn't possibly know what she was.

To his greatest surprise, Sinnett mouthed, "Make the right decision. You either tame her or leave her at the mercy of those crazy researchers."

Then he smiled. "I'll come by tomorrow to see your sister. She's really fun to talk to." He paused and raised another phone, with Alya's picture on the display—she was eating, live.

"Alya?" Asher's annoyance became very visible. "How did you get her contact?"

"Haha, good night."

With that, Sinnett cut the call almost immediately, leaving Asher furious but also worried.

He clenched his hands at his sides but didn't show any expression to avoid suspicion.

If Ria was truly a dragon, then they wouldn't hesitate to kill her—even though she was just a kid.

He tightened his fists harder until his fingers cut into his skin.

'Killing dragons… Tch.' He heaved a sigh. "Might as well see if I can do something."