Against the Shadows|| A Zodiac Story

Three

"Dragons are known only as legends— ancient creatures known for their immeasurable strength and prowess. They are mighty creatures that can either bring destruction and chaos or aid and peace depending on which stories were told. However, due to their power, they were hunted down by humans for generations and generations. 

And the last known dragon to have ever lived on this world was hunted down by the greatest dragon hunter to ever exist, Perseus the Great, founder of the kingdom Celestia.

This story was said to have happened more than a century ago and ever since then, no dragon has ever been seen reigning the land and sky. 

According to the royal texts from the reign of King Perseus the Great, dragons were extremely powerful to the point where they could heal amputated limbs and even cure incurable diseases. 

But the greatest power that a dragon has is 'a dragon's heart'. Whoever has one can have a ridiculous amount of power including lifting curses." Virgo reads aloud a lengthy text while sitting down on a sofa in front of Scorpio's desk.

"A dragon's heart is a loyal artifact that can only be bound once. If the person it is bound to dies, it dies with that individual. This is a rare artifact that only appears once a dragon dies which is why many have hunted after dragons in pursuit of this extremely powerful artifact.

According to the records, King Perseus was able to get his hands on three hearts and used them to build the kingdom from scratch to a mighty empire and ruled over it for years. The legends told of a weapon he had known as the 'Dragon Slayer' which is said to be passed down from the previous king to the next for generations." Virgo continued before looking up to Scorpio who was silently listening to him while doing some paperwork.

"That sword... It was the one given to you by your father, isn't it?" The royal adviser looked up to Scorpio awaiting his answer but the king only shook his head.

"During the king before my father's reign, it was stolen and was never found since. The one I have is just a high-quality replica made by the best blacksmith at the time. It doesn't have the same materials that can pierce through a dragon's skin." Scorpio explains without looking up to Virgo. 

"Plus you don't have a dragon to slay for a dragon's heart anyway. Your ancestor killed the last one. What a twisted turn of faith." The adviser sighed as they hit another dead end.

It's been a whole month since Scorpio first felt the effects of his curse and for the entirety of the new moon, he was unable to have a single wink of sleep at night. Each night is far worse than the previous one and he barely made it through. 

"Are you going out later?" Virgo changed the topic to get their minds off another frustrating result from a search for a cure.

"A little." The king thought to himself.

"Be careful. The moon could be gone any day now." Virgo warns him.

"I will." The king replied with a serious look on his face.

-+++-

Somewhere deep within the misty forest of the Black Woods lies a secret territory completely hidden from the rest of the world. Black Woods is not popular with humans because it is home to vicious and deadly beasts so it became a safe haven for the rare powerful creatures that humans hunted down for generations.

In the deepest part of the Black Woods, they roam freely as the legendary creatures they are known to be— The Dragons. This is where the last remaining kingdom of dragons lies to avoid the greedy hunters who try to kill them for their power. This is where they took shelter— the most dangerous forest known to man, located near the Kingdom of Celestia.

During the darkest night in the kingdom of Celestia, the second and youngest royal daughter of the dragon kingdom, Princess Gemini, was prepared for a ritual for her 21st birthday. This is a ritual not known to man— once a dragon turns to the age of 21, they would undergo a ritual and have the ability to transform into their human form.

This is the reason why some dragons were able to survive the hunting ages and they have been doing it since.

"Your Highness, the ceremony is about to start." A maiden lowers her head at a massive yet beautiful silver dragon. Her purple eyes seemed to twinkle as she heard the maiden's announcement.

They led her to the waterfall at the edge of the kingdom where all the older dragons in their human forms had gathered. All of them are chanting in an ancient language while holding each other's hands. Their eyes and hands glow with different colors as they continue.

However, amongst all of them, Gemini's gaze was caught by the four figures standing in front of them all. Her older brother softly smiled at her as she made her way to the center of the lake below the waterfall.

Not long after, a large magic circle appeared below the silver dragon and engulfed her with a blinding light. The first shift was the most painful and the princess wailed in pain as her body shrinks smaller and smaller into a human form. As she did, the mana-infused light dispersed and she dropped down to the center of the lake.

There was a short moment of silence before Gemini emerged from the waters with a beaming smile. The crowd erupted with cheers while the queen wrapped Gemini with a robe.

"Dad, Mom!" Gemini quickly pulled the old couple into a tight embrace before stepping back to examine her hands and limbs. "I have two legs and a small body! Oh my— I don't have scales! This is amazing!" Gemini exclaimed before she heard a chuckle on her left. 

"You don't sound excited." Her older brother looked at her with an amused gaze.

"Don't look at me like that. We both know your reaction when you turned was a lot—" As Gemini was glaring at her older brother, a knight interrupted them.

"Your Majesties, Crown Prince, Your Highness." He curtsied. "Pardon the interruption however we might have a problem."

~xxx~

WC: 1040

Gemini has joined the story! What do you guys think of this dragon princess?

So... I am back!! To all the lovely people voting, thank you so much for appreciating my work. Y'all are awesome! 

Next chapter coming right up! Stay tuned for the next zodiac that will be introduced. CYA~