Yasil

Chapter 2 Blessings in Disaster

Dragons were one of the most patient beings on Earth. Despite being the strongest and the apex predator, they had no intention to conquer the world. They were not easily provoked and would not attack without being attacked first. They were also solitary creatures who preferred to live alone except on several occasions, such as mating, egg incubation, and brooding period. They ate meat, but usually, they did not eat intelligent beings. It was these characteristics that allowed weaker species like humans and elves to live and procreate in peace. It was also these characteristics that allowed the Earth to last until today, which was why it surprised and baffled him when Yasil found out that a dragon had made catastrophic damage to the Earth only after he left it for 80 years.

He still remembered the time when the last similar dragon catastrophe happened: it was around 7 centuries ago. Dragons were supposed to be much more patient than that. Usually, it took more than a millennium for them to get riled up so much that they would destroy the environment on such a scale.

"Do you remember what used to be in this area, Yasil?" the red dragon asked before explaining.

"I do," Yasil said, recalling his memories before he slept for almost a century. "There was a green forest, a small river, and an elven settlement."

"Humans cut down the forest for their... you know, civilization. The timbers were turned into papers and napkins. The old trees became furniture. The river, well, it slowly disappeared. I didn't mind at first since this is their way of life, but they didn't stop. I thought they would stop at some point since the elves' village was nearby, but they didn't," Krassnia explained.

"Is that why you did all this?"

"No. I let them be. I couldn't care less about them. It's not as if this is my territory, so I thought I didn't have to meddle, but..."

"But?"

"You know, Yasil, it isn't unheard of for humans and elves to have a land dispute, but they always came to an agreement that benefits both sides," suddenly, the dragon changed the course of the topic. Yasil wanted her to get straight to the point, but he did not interject this time, thinking it might be related to his question.

"Yes. Land dispute is quite common," he agreed, then silently allowed her to continue.

"This time, however, they didn't come to an agreement," the dragon said. "I know this is also nothing new; although it is rare, it did happen sometimes, and skirmishes and wars would break out. Still, I couldn't believe those humans dared to directly massacre the elves!"

"Excuse me?" Yasil could not believe it. Did he hear it wrong? "Massacre?"

"Yes! Direct massacre! No negotiation, they just marched forward and killed the villagers!"

"How?" Yasil doubted. "Had none of the elves foreseen it? That's one of their abilities. They should've known something like that would happen."

"I'm sure they did, but maybe not to that extent," Krassnia said gloomily. "I noticed when they evacuated deeper into the forest a few days before, mostly kids and females. They camped in an area close to my territory, so I was vigilant. The rest stayed in the village, no doubt with the intention to defend their home. It was interesting, you know, so I watched them from an appropriate distance. Yet, there was no sound. It was quiet. I almost thought nothing happened until I heard explosive noises. I wasn't sure where it came from, but the next moment, my eyes caught the elves falling victim one by one without warning. I couldn't see anything. I didn't see what had harmed them. After all the chaos, I asked a small group of survivors. They were on the run to join the refugees, already lost the battle. They said humans brought a new weapon that can kill from a distance in a matter of seconds. Their elemental magic was almost useless simply because their enemies were faster, hidden, accurate, and too far."