CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 2 - A NAME.

The dragon hadn’t expected today to be different. Ten days of lying around, staring at trees and sky, had dulled him into something close to sleepwalking. But when he realized he might actually meet someone—might even talk to them—something sparked inside.

"Let’s see who they are, shall we?" He muttered, narrowing his focus.

Not just sight. Not just hearing. That thing he’d learned recently—perception. He hadn’t been taught it. Nobody had explained it. It had just happened.

Like that time a bird flew overhead and he’d wanted to know what it carried. He’d stretched himself outward, and suddenly, mana had pulsed from him like a heartbeat, and the world had opened wide. Every little thing laid bare.

He’d used it since then to hunt—rabbits, deer, whatever moved.

Now, for the first time, he wasn’t using it for food.

His mana spread like water spilled across the forest floor, washing outward from his massive frame.

Every tree, every stone, every tiny beetle came alive in his awareness. The rustle of branches. A squirrel’s quick breath. The crunch of a leaf beneath someone’s step.

And then he felt her.

He couldn’t tell who that was, but slowly, her shape flickered into his mind. Long ears. Slim body. A tail like a puff of cotton, bouncing as she ran toward him.

’A bunny girl?’ He wondered.

Her feet barely touched the earth, but her heartbeat pounded loud in his perception—wild with fear.

That was when he realized that although she was running toward him, she was also running away from something.

That something were five others beings.

Humans. He could tell by their armor, the weight of swords at their sides.

’Humans...? Is there a settlement nearby?’

He knew who humans were. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew that they talked, and he also knew that they lived in groups.

If he’d known there were some this close, he wouldn’t have wasted ten whole days lying here. He’d have moved already.

The humans were fast—stronger than the girl. Their steps beat heavy against the earth.

Still, the bunny girl stayed ahead, darting through trees like she was part of the forest itself. She had the advantage, but not for long. He could feel the humans adjusting, learning the terrain, and picking up speed.

If they all ignored him, they’d probably catch her soon. But he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He was far too big to miss.

But the dragon merely blinked, as their conflict didn’t matter to him.

Morality wasn’t something he understood. What mattered was that she was coming straight at him. And so were they.

’Wait... is she leading them here?’ His head tilted, massive horns catching the light.

Coincidence? Or had she known he was here all along?

He shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. He waited without moving, or even growling because he wanted to look harmless.

After all, he didn’t want them to run away.

’Don’t run away like the others...’ He muttered inwardly.

The bushes shivered and broke open.

Then, she stumbled through.

She had pale skin, white hair, and red eyes that were wide and wild.

She was a rabbit girl, exactly as he’d seen. Her ears flopped as she skidded to a stop, nearly falling.

But as she looked up, her eyes locked with his, her knees gave way immediately. She hit the grass hard, trembling.

"T-There really was a dragon here..." Her voice was hoarse, cracked.

Her whole body shook, though her face carried something more than fear. Disbelief. Like she’d been looking for him, but hadn’t believed she’d find him.

Now she had, and she couldn’t move.

The dragon, however, stayed still. Golden horns glinted where sunlight cut through leaves overhead. He didn’t dare shift, not even a twitch, careful not to scare her off.

After all, she looked fragile—breakable like the birds that had always fled at his gaze. Only this one had a human shape.

He squinted, trying to read more, wanting to know more. But the thought of speaking made him hesitate. A sigh escaped instead, and even that sound made her flinch.

Then, like something responding to his will to know more as mana stirred in him. Light blinked alive before his eyes, and a glowing panel appeared.

[Inspecting Target...]

......

Name: Lyra Dawnwhisk

Race: Leporin (Beastkin – Rabbit)

Stats:

- Strength: F

- Defense: F

- Agility: E+

- Mana: E

Skills:

- Forestrunner (Passive – Enhances speed and maneuverability in forests.)

- Soundless Step (Passive – Footsteps are near silent.)

- Nature’s Mark (Unawakened – Need to reach C rank to unlock.)

......

He blinked once, slow. Outwardly calm. Inwardly rattled.

’A... status panel?’

It was like the things he had seen in his dream. The man he always became in those dreams had something like this, and he called it a status panel.

His thoughts were cut short when he saw her name.

’Lyra.’

It echoed in him. However, as soon as he thought it, something inside him hollowed, making him realize that she had a name, but he didn’t.

’Who am I...?’

He turned toward the pond, looking at his reflection. Black scales. Golden eyes. Horns curved like weapons.

He wondered if he could see his own status window if he looked at his own reflection, and the moment he did, a new panel appeared.

[Inspecting Target...]

......

Name: –

Race: Primordial Dragon

Bloodline:

Primordial Dragon

Stats:

- Strength: SS

- Defense: SS

- Agility: SS

- Mana: SS

Skills:

- ??? (No information available)

- Mana Concealment

- Ultimate Draconic Instincts

- Ultimate Perception

- Inspection

......

He stared at it and he noticed the SS rank all across the board.

He didn’t know how high SS went or if there was anything above it, but he was sure that the difference between his and Lyra’s status were abyssal.

However, what mattered to him wasn’t the power. It was the blank name. But all he saw there was just a line. Empty.

He felt less than whole because of it.

’I need a name...’

Meanwhile, Lyra had begun to panic, thinking he’d turned away in disinterest.

She had come here with sacrifice already weighing heavy in her heart—ready to die if it meant saving her sibling. And yet, when she’d looked into his eyes, she’d felt... something. A chance.

But she didn’t know how to ask. She couldn’t bring herself to move closer either. After all, he looked so big and scary.

The moment cracked when the humans arrived.

They burst into the clearing, armor clanking and swords drawn, curses spilling from their lips. They were tired, breaths ragged, but when they saw Lyra kneeling there, trembling, their energy surged.

They rushed forward to cut her off—

—Only to freeze.

The dragon was right there.

One man stumbled into another and fell, but even on the ground, his eyes stayed locked on the monster under the tree.

Six pairs of eyes now stared, as color drained from their faces. None of them dared to even blink.

The dragon lay coiled by the pond, but they could see how massive he was. One lift of his head and the crooked tree beside him would seem like nothing.

As his golden eyes passed through them, they felt like being stripped naked, as if everything about them was lying bare before him.

"What in the name of gods..." one muttered, voice cracking.

"Is that a fucking dragon?" Another whispered, body shaking as though he might bolt.

"Stand your fucking ground!" The leader’s voice cut through, trembling but harsh. A scar across his brow, a thick coat draped over his shoulders. His glare tried to cover the tremor in his legs. "Dragons are dead, you cowards. It’s a chimera. Has to be."

Even he didn’t believe his own words. His body betrayed him. He was already thinking of running, throwing the others behind him as bait. But he had to act like he was fine.

The dragon, however, saw it all. He could read it in the man’s eyes. That cowardice. That selfishness. He’d seen it before, in the visions that haunted him.

But he didn’t care who this man was. He only cared that humans could talk, and looking at them, he could tell—

’They’re going to run.’

He could feel it—fear rolling off them, mana surging uneven, ready to snap. He didn’t want them to. Not yet.

So he sighed and opened his mouth.

"I mean you no harm."

The words boomed through the clearing, deep and heavy. Everyone froze.

"It... it talked," one breathed, eyes wide. His sword almost slipped from his hand.

"Talking beasts are at least... A-rank," another hissed, stepping back. "We’re not ready for that. We can’t—"

The dragon winced inwardly. Had his voice been too much? Too harsh? He tried again, softer.

"I will not stop you," he said. "If you wish to kill the girl... that is your choice. I only ask that you do not involve me."

But the humans didn’t hear the words anymore. The idea that he was an A-rank—maybe more—was all that mattered. Their leader’s grip on his sword trembled.

"What... What are you?" He asked, his voice nearly a whisper. "Who the hell are you?"

The question hit deeper than any blade could.

The dragon went still. The panel flickered in his mind again, that blank name glaring back at him.

Who was he? He had nothing to call himself. Nothing to say.

His gaze fell back to the pond’s reflection. Black scales. Golden eyes. And then, like a whisper through his bones, something stirred.

A word surfaced, unbidden, like it had always been waiting.

Kael.

He didn’t know where it came from. But it felt right. Like it had been his all along.

He raised his head, wings shifting slightly, and met the man’s eyes.

"I am Kael," he said.

The dragon finally had a name.