RLRD Chapter 2

Chapter 2 A Dragon?

When Kryo heard the word "dragon," he pictured gigantic, fire-breathing creatures with enormous wings. The idea seemed ludicrous, especially coming from a spirit, and he almost laughed out loud.

“What’s so crazy about dragons?” Slith's voice echoed in his mind. “Isn’t it weirder that you’re hearing thoughts in your head right now?”

Kyro couldn’t deny Slith had a point. Maybe this was his mind's way of making sense of their bizarre situation.

“How can this be?” Slith groaned. “I thought you’d be shocked to learn who I was, not that it'd matter much after I saved your scrawny body. We were the ones who rescued you from the great threat!”

“The great threat?” Kyro echoed, puzzled.

Growing up in and out of hospitals, Kyro’s education came mostly from television and mobile devices. He remembered hearing about the Great Threat numerous times. It was an event a thousand years ago, when portals to another world opened on Earth, unleashing nightmarish beasts.

Back then, humanity, armed only with swords and bows, was defenseless. But a turning point came when some humans entered the other world, Shira, and returned transformed, with superhuman abilities. These individuals, called Purgers, were instrumental in ending the Great Threat.

“Wait a second!” Slith’s voice interrupted Kyro’s thoughts. “That’s not right. It was us, the dragons, who stepped in to save humanity! Haven’t your history books recorded us as legends?”

Kyro covered his ears, but it did nothing to muffle Slith's loud voice in his head.

“Don’t blame me, you stupid dragon. This was over a thousand years ago. Who knows what really happened?”

Slith fell silent, contemplating. Kyro was right; it had been a millennium. Strangely, Slith couldn’t recall what happened to the dragons after the Great Threat. No matter how hard he tried, he could only recall memories after helping the humans.

“Kid!” Slith’s voice resonated with a mix of curiosity and impatience. “What's the current state of the world? From my vantage point, it seems remarkably tranquil, almost untouched.”

Kyro gazed out at the skyline, where skyscrapers pierced the heavens and lights twinkled like stars fallen to earth. To Slith, a being from an age long past, these structures must have appeared otherworldly, a stark contrast to the war-torn lands he knew.

“The world now, after the Great Threat?” Kyro pondered, tapping his temple, as if physically coaxing his memories to the surface. “Well, I can share what I know.”

He began, “Firstly, the monstrous creatures that once terrorized humanity are gone. Since their disappearance, it’s been peaceful. Stories of the Purgers, those legendary figures from the past, are still told. Not all Purgers are the same, though. Depending on their evolution, some have lived on, to the point where some would call them immortal.”

Kyro’s eyes took on a distant look as he continued. “When the Great Threat ended, all but one of the portals to the other world closed. With only a single remaining gateway. Now, there are both old Purgers, survivors from that past, and new ones, individuals who have crossed into Shira in recent years.”

Slith, intrigued but still processing this information, asked, “So, is everyone a Purger now?”

Kyro couldn’t help but chuckle at the naivete of the question. “If that were true, would I be in the condition I am now? I always thought dragons were wise and knowledgeable.”

If Slith had a physical form, Kyro imagined he might have received a sharp rebuke. But Slith, limited to his ethereal existence, remained silent, absorbing this flood of information about the modern world.

Kyro elaborated on the process of becoming a Purger. “You see, one of the ways to become a Purger is to venture into Shira through the lone portal, which is now heavily guarded and regulated. There are a few paths to this transformation. One could be born of Purger lineage and prove their ancestry. Such individuals are granted passage to Shira and allowed to return.”

He paused, ensuring Slith was following. “Alternatively, one might hail from a wealthy or influential family, using their resources to secure a journey to Shira. Another route is through military service, climbing the ranks to a position where such a journey is sanctioned. And then, there’s the rarest of all – a chance encounter.”

“An encounter?” Slith echoed, his voice tinged with wonder.

“it's a known fact that creatures from other realms occasionally slip through tiny portals, bringing with them an energy that can transform ordinary humans into Purgers, if they survive the encounter. Although it’s not always guaranteed, and the beasts that slip through are nothing like those in the past, or so I heard.” Kyro stated.

Slith, wise beyond his years, pondered over this. Humans could grow stronger, so why not send everyone to Shira? Then he remembered why dragons distrusted humans – their unpredictable nature. Controlling who becomes a Purger meant better population control and maintaining a class of superior beings.

“Nowadays, Purgers are just pawns in military rivalries or turn into celebrities, sports icons, even VR stars,” Kyro, brimming with enthusiasm, explained.

“VR stars?” Slith, puzzled, struggled to grasp the concept.

Kyro, taking a deep breath, dove into the explanation. “Think of it as a massive game. Scientists recently discovered how to link to Shira's world through VR, without physically sending people. When you connect to the VR set, it creates an avatar in Shira that’s linked to part of your soul. It's not just a game; you actually have a physical form there!”

Kyro expected Slith to be amazed. He himself had been awestruck, dreaming of owning a VR pod to experience life in the other world, a dream hampered by his financial constraints.

To Slith, a being familiar with dragons and their myriad powers, the idea of soul-based avatars didn’t seem far-fetched.

“In the VR game, is everyone a Purger?” Slith inquired.

“Exactly,” Kyro replied. “Avatars in Shira grow stronger by battling beasts. But there's a catch. Only their avatars and souls in Shira grow stronger. Back on Earth, they're just ordinary humans without any powers. Purgers, however, gain strength both in the VR world and in reality.”

This distinction confirmed the reality of the VR avatars, as Purgers who entered through the physical portal could interact with them.

Slith mused, “Humans are cunning. Masking it as a game, they've created real entities constantly battling monsters. Yet to them, they might not even feel like they are doing something very real.”

Kyro, shifting the topic had his own questions on his mind and asked, “Why are you here, and why did you choose my body?”

Slith hesitated, searching for answers. “I don't know. My soul's energy was fading, and I found myself in the city, needing a body to survive. I thought maybe dragons were needed again, but I find no purpose here.”

Kyro, filled with newfound strength and free from pain, clenched his fists in disbelief. With a grateful smile, he said, “I don’t know if I’m going crazy, or if everything you said is true, but if you healed me, thank you.”

After some more checks here and there by the hospital, they were happy to let Kyro go. They wanted him to come back once a week, and said that they wouldn’t charge him for doing so as long as they ran some tests.

Since they had found nothing wrong so far and it was free, Kyro accepted. Eventually, his parents came to pick him up, his mother and father, who both shed tears of joy. Both of them looked quite similar to Kyro; they were in their fifties with black hair. His dad and mother were both showing a few grey hairs here and there, and if there was one thing to note, it was that they both looked tired.

Soon, Kyro found himself on a bus along with his parents. They were making their way back and had passed several stops when he realized they were going in a different direction from what he last remembered.

“Did you guys move again?” Kyro asked.

“Ah right, the last time you came home we would have lived in Depsville, but we moved to Cronton now,” his mother replied. “We just wanted to get a bit more fresh air.”

Kyro smiled back at the two of them, but he knew one thing his mother was lying about. His dad was an office worker in the city center, and Cronton took two hours to get to by bus. It was practically on the outskirts of the city.

The reason for moving was most likely because it was cheaper to live on the outskirts. They had already done this a few times, downsizing the house to pay for the hospital bills. He still remembered the many times he thought it was easier if he just died because he didn’t want to see his parents struggling anymore.

Eventually, the bus came to a stop, and there was a further ten-minute walk to the apartment they were staying at.

“Are you sure you can walk, Kyro?” His mother asked. “If you get tired, we can rest at any time.”

“I could even sprint there if I needed to, trust me, I’ve never felt more alive,” Kyro replied.

It was hard for his parents to get used to, even just taking a simple walk together was a dream for them. This was the payoff they wanted, and the two of them walked by Kyro’s side, slowly still thinking about him.

As they went through the neighborhood, Kyro noticed that it wasn’t the best of places. The road was filled with potholes, and rubbish at the side of the streets. Several of the streetlights were broken as well.

There weren’t many people on the street either; it was still dark out, so Kyro was at least thankful about that.

“Hey, don’t be scared, you have the great soul of me inside you,” Slith commented, reading his thoughts again. “If someone came to rob you or harm your parents, you would be able to send them to the moon with a single punch.”

“What, have I gone bald and suddenly gained superpowers or something?” Kyro replied as he touched the top of his head.

“Is that some type of joke you guys make?” Slith replied. “Anyway, I restored your body so it’s not just that of a human’s, but it’s even better than that of an average human’s so you don’t have to worry at all. In fact, you might even be able to give those Purgers a run for their money.”

Moving his fingers again, Kyro wasn’t so sure if Slith was playing a joke on him or not. He had never had a regular human body, so he didn’t even know what it was meant to feel like.

Eventually, they reached the place they called home. It was a two-floor apartment building, with 8 rooms on the top and 8 rooms on the bottom floor. They were on the bottom floor.

As they entered, the door had to be kicked at the bottom a few times due to it being stiff. When walking in, the smell of damp and mold hit Kyro’s nose almost instantly.

“We didn’t realize that you would be coming back today, otherwise, we would have cleaned up a bit, but don’t worry, we always had a room for you ready,” his mother said.

Walking in the hallway, the place was small. Too small for three people to live in. It had more of a studio apartment feeling, with a small cooking counter to the right and the living room, and then there was one toilet and one door to another room, nothing else.

The living room was scattered with boxes as well. It was nothing compared to the last place they had lived at, and seeing all of this was just aching Kyro’s heart even more.

Pushing past the mountain of boxes that contained several items, Kyro had been led to his room, where he could see a double bed waiting for him. Unlike the rest of the house, this place was spotless as well.

“Wait, is this the only bedroom? There’s no other doors?” Kyro noticed.

“Don’t worry about that, Kyro, me and your dad have been sleeping in the living room. We just want you to get some good rest. You must be tired, so please sit down and get some sleep,” his mother wouldn’t even let Kyro do anything.

She had practically led him to the bed and placed him in there. Then quickly the two of them left him in peace and quiet. Leaving Kyro to just stare at the ceiling.

“Hey kid… you have some pretty good parents, you know that right?” Slith commented.

Kyro’s eyes were stinging; they were getting blurry by the second as tears were starting to roll down the side of his face.

“I know…” Kyro wiped away the tears from his face. “It’s my fault that they're like this. I need to help them, get out of this situation.”

———

Kyrop's parents, worn and weary, were setting up their makeshift bed on the floor when he emerged from his room, eyes still damp from shed tears. As he made his way to the bathroom, his attention was drawn to a scattering of letters on the floor. Stealing a glance backward to ensure he went unnoticed, Kyrop knelt and picked them up. Each envelope was starkly marked in red, the unmistakable sign of overdue bills.

The family's situation was grimmer than Kyro had realized. Amid the envelopes, he discovered that they had accrued several loans, all to cover his medical expenses. They were mired in a financial pit with seemingly no escape. Sifting through the pile, a colorful leaflet caught his eye. Picking it up, he was greeted by the image of a formidable figure with slick, jet-black hair, and a chiseled, muscular face. The character, wielding a weapon, gazed intently off a cliff. Kyro recognized him immediately – it was Yip, a renowned Purger from the popular VR game.

The leaflet beckoned: “Join the world of Shira now, and experience the life of a Purger.” A thought flashed through Kyro's mind, igniting a flicker of hope. He recalled a conversation, a suggestion that he might possess strength surpassing that of a Purger.

“Is it true what you said before?” Kyro asked, his voice tinged with a mix of doubt and curiosity. “Could I really be stronger than a Purger?”

If there was one way to get out of the pit of debt, becoming a Purger seemed like the quickest path to making some money.