A Dragon's Plight (ONGOING)

CHAPTER 1

"Isang mahalagang parte ng kasaysayan ng ating lahi ang isang hiyas na tinawag ng ating mga ninuno na "draconis corde" o dragon's heart sa Ingles. According to many legends, it is a source of immense power. A power that rivals that of the combined magic of all dragons in existence. Marami na ang naitalang mga dragon sa ating kasaysayan na sumubok hanapin at angkinin ang sinasabing hiyas pero lahat sila ay nabigo. Walang sinuman sa limang uri ng mga dragon ang nagtagumpay sa hangarin nilang maghari sa buong lipon ng ating lahi. Ngunit sa kabila ng mga naitalang kabiguan, may mga iilan pa rin ang patuloy na naghahanap sa mailap na hiyas hanggang ngayon...." My Dragon History teacher, whom I consider a brother, droned on in class.

Like the honor student that I am, I dutifully took notes of my teacher's every word while most of my classmates are engrossed in other things.

The popular dragon girls, just like their human equivalents, are too busy retouching their make-up and flirting with male dragons than listening to the lecture. While the male dragons, who are like the jocks of human high school, would rather sleep in class or whisper about the girls they have their beady eyes on than pay attention to the lesson.

Sitting at the back of the class because of my social pariah status, I was able to observe all these while being ignored by my classmates. Being the only dragon of my age who wasn't able to morph into her dragon form two years ago, upon turning fifteen,  automatically makes me one of the "unmentionables" in our archaic world. Added to the fact that I'm also an impoverished orphan since I was thirteen.

I sighed at the unfairness of it all. Four years ago, isa ako sa mga grupo ng mga babaeng dragon na walang ibang inisip kun'di ang panlabas na anyo. In fact, I was their leader.

But how the mighty has fallen. The most popular female dragon became the school outcast in the blink of an eye. Those who were my friends became my persecutors. I also lost my family. And it's all because of an accident.

And because of that tragic moment in the past, the dragon I loved with all my heart, the same dragon who swore he couldn't live without me, turned his back on me just when I needed him the most.

I tried to steer my mind from thoughts of the past. Wala namang mangyayari kung patuloy ko pa ring iisipin ang nakaraan. Kahit ilang beses kong balik-balikan ang mga nangyari, I still wouldn't be able to transform into my dragon. It wouldn't bring back my social status and my bastard of an ex. Most importantly, reminiscing wouldn't give me back my parents.

The moment the bell rang to signal the end of classes for the day, majority of the class hurriedly stood up and almost ran to the door. Atat na atat na silang umuwi o kaya naman ay tumambay o maglakwatsa.

Maingat kong sininop ang aking mga libro at gamit bago tumayo, hindi para umuwi, kun'di para pumasok sa trabaho.

When I became an orphan, the governing body of our clan, the strongest and biggest clan among all dragons, composed mostly of Black Dragon members, called the High Council, deposited me into an orphanage and confiscated all our family assets and properties. And everyone else in all our dragon clan was too scared of them so they let them turn the only daughter of the richest male dragon into a pauper who has to earn a living at a very young age.

Nahinto ako sa pag-iisip nang magsalita ang guro ko. "Wala ka pa rin bang nararamdamang pagbabago sa sarili mo, Lia?" Sinenyasan niya kong umupo sa silya sa harap ng mesa niya. Kami na lang pala ang tao sa silid.

Simula nang mangyari ang malagim na trahedya sa buhay ko, nawalan ako ng mga tinuring kong mga kaibigan pero namulat din ang mga mata ko sa mga taong tunay na nagmamalasakit sakin. At kabilang na dun ang binata kong guro na tinuturing kong Kuya Alaric at ang pamilya niya na miyembro ng mga Brown Dragons, who are known for their high intellect.