Serendipity (Veldora x TBATE)

01 | A Lost Dragon

Time feels strange when you're eternal.

For most, it moves like a river—steady and relentless, carrying them from one moment to the next. It serves as proof of the world's continuous existence. But for beings like me, time is more like an endless ocean. And in it, I drifted for eons.

I was once Veldora, the Storm Dragon—a force of nature, born from the chaos of creation itself. Immortal, eternal. There were only four of us, and I was one of them, a being both unique and perfect. My life span had no end, my body was indestructible. As long as my will remained, so did I.

True dragons are immortal, absolute beings. We can't be killed—that's not a boast, it's a law of nature itself. I was born with the winds obeying my every whim, the skies bowing to my presence. But even a storm can be stilled. Trapped in that cursed seal, my thunderous roars faded into silence. The chaos I once thrived on vanished, leaving me adrift in my own mind.

At first, I resisted. Every moment in that seal was an insult to what I was, a cage for something meant to be free. But with time, I stopped fighting it. The storm within me quieted, and I found myself drifting, like a hurricane winding down.

I died in that seal—not in the way mortals do, with fear and finality—but in the way only an immortal can. I ceased to be one thing, and awoke as another. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a different world. Reborn. But not as I once was.

My memories stayed with me. I still remembered the feeling of the wind beneath my wings, the crackle of lightning in my veins, the power I wielded with a thought. But something had shifted. I wasn't the same Veldora that once shook the heavens and earth. The fury that used to burn inside me had softened, replaced by something... quieter.

It was familiar. Every time I died at the hands of my sisters and was reborn, I noticed things that once brought me joy no longer did. It's like choosing new interests at random.

This new quiet unsettled me at first. I had spent so long as a force of destruction that I barely recognized myself, only understanding my nature of existence. But in this new world, I started to wonder if there was more to existence than rage and chaos.

What is a storm when it no longer rages? What is a dragon when its wings no longer sweep across the sky, leaving destruction in its wake?

I'm still Veldora, the Storm Dragon. Now, I guess I'll find out what it truly means to live beyond the storm. Beyond the clouds.

~🐉~

I open my eyes to see a vast blue sky, but I felt strange.

"Ah," I muttered in realization. "I'm in human form"

It was the first time I've ever done it, and I don't even know how and when. I just died and was reborn. It was a novel experience. I clenched and unclenched my fist, unravelling the strange sensation of inhabiting the form of what I previously saw as fragile and weak.

I tested my limbs repeatedly, adjusting to the unfamiliar sensations. I ran my fingers through my wavy, silky hair, its pale golden strands falling gently against my fingers. I examined myself closely, and I must admit, I look quite striking. I was tall, young, muscular, and perfectly handsome. My skin is slightly tanned, and my short, wavy golden hair frames my face. My bright amber eyes, with their diamond-shaped pupils, reflect a subtle beauty that seems almost otherworldly.

The form's flexible, true, but it lacked the dominance of an overarching dragon towering over everything. It wasn't long before I became immediately used to my human form. How could I not? I am a true dragon, and I am mighty. I used my haki to shape my magicules into clothes. Black garments enveloped me, and I stretched as I began to survey my surroundings.

I don't know how much time passed since my death, but I know one thing for certain.

This isn't my world, I thought, smiling with excitement as I eyed the vast plains before me. I scanned my surroundings. On one end, there was a sea of trees. On another, the plains just continued along the horizon. And above, there was something strange.

A floating structure—a floating city.

Fascinating, I thought. I remembered for sure feeling the desire to destroy it once the slightest signs of civilization entered my eyes, but now it was no more. My storms had quelled, for better or for worse. My destructive impulses were gone, and in came an insatiable curiosity to explore the vastness of the world before me.

I once destroyed everything I desired, but what remains to explore in a world reduced to ashes? How could I have failed to see this after my many deaths and rebirths?

(A/N: This is just an interesting idea that popped on my mind. Please let me know what you think about this crossover concept.)